Cambodia - July 2023

Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party declared victory in National Assembly elections held on 23 July, winning 120 of 125 seats in a stage-managed contest which was held to be neither free nor fair by opposition, election observers, and foreign diplomats. The main opposition Candlelight Party was disqualified in May, and other key opposition figures had been systematically forced into exile or imprisoned on trumped-up charges in recent years. On 26 July, Prime Minister Hun made the expected announcement that he would resign in August and hand over power to his son, Hun Manet, but promised “even if I am no longer a prime minister, I will still control politics as the head of the ruling party.” Women’s representation in the new parliament is 10.4 per cent, down from 20.8 per cent previously and the lowest in twenty years.

Sources: ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, New York Times (1), New York Times (2), IPU Parline